Third consecutive season that Long Island battles Somerset for Liberty Division crown
(Central Islip, N.Y., Sept. 19, 2017) – The Atlantic League playoffs are about to begin, and for the third consecutive season and 12th time in franchise history, the Long Island Ducks will be playing postseason baseball. The Ducks, who clinched a playoff berth as the Second Half Liberty Division champions this past Saturday, will face the First Half Liberty Division champion Somerset Patriots in the best-of-five Liberty Division Championship Series. The winner of the series will move on to the Atlantic League Championship Series, where they will meet the winner of the Freedom Division Championship Series that pits the first half champion Southern Maryland Blue Crabs against the second half champion York Revolution.
SERIES SCHEDULE
| Game One |
Patriots at Ducks | 6:35 p.m. | Bethpage Ballpark |
| Game Two | Patriots at Ducks | 6:35 p.m. | Bethpage Ballpark |
| Game Three | Ducks at Patriots | 7:05 p.m. | TD Bank Ballpark |
| Game Four* | Ducks at Patriots | 7:05 p.m. | TD Bank Ballpark |
| Game Five* | Ducks at Patriots | 5:05 p.m. | TD Bank Ballpark |
| * – If Necessary |
HEAD-TO-HEAD HISTORY
2017 marks the fourth time the Ducks and Patriots will face in the postseason. Their first-ever meeting came in the 2013 Atlantic League Championship Series when Somerset was still a member of the Freedom Division. Long Island won the first two games at home before going on to win the series in five games, claiming their third Atlantic League championship and second in a row. The sides faced again in the 2015 Liberty Division Championship Series, with the teams splitting the first two games on Long Island before the Patriots overcame a 2-1 series deficit for a 3-2 series victory. Last season, the two teams met in the Liberty Division Championship Series once again, with the Patriots hosting the first two games at TD Bank Ballpark. Somerset claimed both, but Long Island rallied back with three consecutive wins at home, outscoring Somerset 14-2 to win the Liberty Division championship. The Ducks have an 8-7 advantage in the all-time playoff series with the Patriots. They have won six of seven meetings at Bethpage Ballpark, while the Patriots have taken six of eight matchups at TD Bank Ballpark.
During the regular season, the Ducks and Patriots have met a total of 345 times since the Ducks entered the Atlantic League in 2000. The Ducks hold a 173-172 lead in the tightly-contested series, and they have a 92-83 edge on Long Island while the Patriots maintain an 89-81 advantage in New Jersey. The Ducks won the 2017 season series by taking 11 of 20 games against the Patriots. Long Island went 6-4 in Central Islip and split the 10 games played in Bridgewater. The two teams played 13 games during the first half of the season, with the Ducks holding a 7-6 advantage. Long Island then took four of the seven meetings in the second half. This series will be the first meeting between the teams since the Ducks took three of four games at TD Bank Ballpark August 15-17.
ROSTERS
Below are the active Divisional Playoff rosters for the Long Island Ducks and Somerset Patriots (players listed alphabetically by position):
| LONG ISLAND DUCKS | SOMERSET PATRIOTS | |
| PITCHERS |
PITCHERS | |
| John Brownell (RHP) | A.J. Achter (RHP) |
|
| Patrick Crider (LHP) | Dustin Antolin (RHP) | |
| Amalio Diaz (RHP) | Mike Antonini (LHP) | |
| Jake Dunning (RHP) | Duane Below (LHP) | |
| Jake Fisher (LHP) | Mark Hamburger (RHP) | |
| James Jones (RHP) | Keith Hessler (LHP) | |
| Matt Larkins (RHP) | Jon Hunton (RHP) | |
| Matt Marsh (RHP) | Lucas Irvine (RHP) | |
| Dennis O’Grady (RHP) | Patrick Johnson (RHP) | |
| Dustin Richardson (LHP) | Dustin Molleken (RHP) | |
| Rob Rogers (RHP) | Kyler Newby (RHP) | |
| Zac Treece (RHP) | Efrain Nieves (LHP) | |
| Tyler Wilson (RHP) | William Oliver (RHP) | |
| CATCHERS | CATCHERS | |
| Audie Afenir | Adam Donachie | |
| Alex Burg | Yovan Gonzalez | |
| INFIELDERS | INFIELDERS | |
| Giovanny Alfonzo | Tyler Bortnick | |
| Ruben Gotay | Alfredo Rodriguez | |
| Dan Lyons | Kyle Roller | |
| Elmer Reyes | Olmo Rosario | |
| Angelo Songco | Justin Trapp | |
| David Vidal | ||
| OUTFIELDERS | OUTFIELDERS | |
| Delta Cleary Jr. | Aharon Eggleston | |
| Lew Ford | Carlos Guzman | |
| Jordan Hinshaw | Joe Maloney | |
| Marc Krauss | D’Vontrey Richardson | |
| Angelo Songco | ||
| COACHES | COACHES | |
| Kevin Baez – Manager | Brett Jodie – Manager | |
| Billy Horn – Pitching Coach | Glen Barker – Hitting/Third Base Coach | |
| Lew Ford – Bench Coach | Cory Domel – Pitching Coach | |
| Bud Harrelson – First Base Coach | Fox Beyer – First Base Coach | |
| George Kantzian – Bullpen Catcher | Alfonso Reda – Bullpen Coach |
PITCHING MATCHUPS
The following are the probable pitching matchups for the Liberty Division Championship Series (statistics provided are 2017 records and ERA in Atlantic League play):
Game One
Patriots: RHP Mark Hamburger (0-0, 2.57 ERA) vs. Ducks: RHP John Brownell (10-5, 3.44 ERA)
Game Two
Patriots: LHP Mike Antonini (2-1. 1.61 ERA) vs. Ducks: RHP Matt Larkins (9-7, 3.69 ERA)
Game Three
Ducks: LHP Jake Fisher (0-0, 2.76 ERA) vs. Patriots: RHP William Oliver (8-6, 4.78 ERA)
Game Four
Ducks: RHP Jake Dunning (2-3, 3.64 ERA) vs. Patriots: RHP Patrick Johnson (2-2, 4.76 ERA)
Game Five
Ducks: TBA vs. Patriots: TBA
FOLLOW ALONG
Those unable to make it out to the ballpark can follow all the action on the Long Island Ducks Broadcast Network. Live streaming HD video and audio will be available via BoxCast on the Ducks’ official Facebook page, YouTube channel and at LIDucks.com.
PROMOTIONS AND TICKET LINKS
The first 1,500 fans in attendance prior to Game One will receive Good Times, Every Time Notebooks, courtesy of People’s Alliance Federal Credit Union. Prior to game two, there will be a cheerleading demonstration taking place on the field, presented by the Suffolk County Youth Cheerleading Association, which includes a special 5:15 gates open time.
Tickets to all Ducks home postseason games are available by visiting the Bethpage Ballpark box office, calling (631) 940-TIXX or CLICKING HERE.
Those wishing to attend Games Three, Four and Five at TD Bank Ballpark can purchase tickets by calling (908) 252-0700 or visiting www.somersetpatriots.com.
The Long Island Ducks are members of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball and play their home games at Bethpage Ballpark. For further information, call (631) 940-DUCK or visit www.liducks.com.
About the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB)
The Atlantic League has been a leader in professional baseball and a gateway to Major League Baseball since 1998. Over 38 million fans have attended Atlantic League games and more than 800 players and 50 managers and coaches have joined MLB organizations directly from the ALPB. The Atlantic League emphasizes winning baseball games, showcasing the talent of top-caliber players and offering affordable family entertainment to metropolitan markets serving nearly 15{2db62e8169997a8d599beca7d6013ac1e46056278d69ddd3df039f4c0be21f7d} of the US population.
For more information, please visit www.atlanticleague.com.
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